Combined beet thinning and cultivating machine.



PATENTED MAR. 22, 1904.

A. IRELAND. COMBINED BEET THINNING AND, GULTIVATING MACHINE.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 18, 1902.

2 TS-sum 1.

N0 MODEL.

Witnesss:

urHo. wwwmmou n c v "UNITED STATES Patented March 22, 1 904.

PATENT @FFICE.

ARTHUR IRELAND, or ROY, UTAH.

COMBINED BEET THINNING AND CULTIVATING MACHINE..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Ifatent NO- 755,298, dated March22, 1904.

Application filed June 18, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

the same, reference being had to the accom' panying drawings, and'to thefigures of referencemarked thereon, which form a partof thisspecification.

5 My invention relates to improvements in combined choppers andcultivators adapted for use in thinning or for chopping the tops ofbeets in a field simultaneous with the cultivation or weeding of thebeet-field; and its object is to provide a machine of simple andinexpensive construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the frameof the machine may be conveniently moved up and down or from side toside to accommodate the machine to the irregularities of the rows'without stopping or disturbing its operation.

' A furtherobject is to provide means for ad-e justing the cultivatingor weeding knives to arrange them in the proper position with relationto the rotary cutters, so as tocut all the weeds from between the rowsirrespective of the width of the latter.

Another object is to provide means to permit the plowman to convenientlydisengage one or both of the rotary choppers from the driving-axle; and,lastly, it has for its object to combine and 'aggroup the partsin anovel manner and render the operation of the machine more eliicient,

For a further understanding of the merits and advantages ofthe'invention reference is to be had to the following description andthe accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe machine constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a topplan view. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line w of Fig. 2. Fig. L isa cross-section on the line y y of Fig.

Serial No. 112,240. (No model.)

2; and Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of one of the traction-wheels,showing the clutch in its hub.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalviews.

The frame of the machine is preferably con- 'structed of flat metal barsand comprises two side pieces 1, a front piece 2, and a rear end vpiece3, formed of two parallel bars4 and 5.

The traction-wheels 6'are loosely mounted on an axle 7, and in the hubof eaoh'wheel is mounted a ratchet consisting of a disk 8, keyed to theaxle 7' and having spring-pressed pawls 9 to engage the teeth 10 in theinner.periph ery of the hub when the machine is being drawn forward.When, however, the ma chine is pulled back, the axle 7 and thechopping-knives are not rotated, as the pawls will slide past theratchets.

Loosely hung upon the axle 7 are bearings 11, to which the thills 12 areconnected. One side of the bearings is provided with arms 13, to whichthe side pieces 1 are pivoted by means of a bolt 1 k and which permitslateral movement of the frame. The ends of these arms are riveted to thefront cross-piece 2, so that the said cross-piece is held from movement,and the side pieces 1 are hinged at 1 to permit the frame to be raisedand lowered.

On the axle 7 is a collar 15 and two coil,- springs 16, which normallyhold the beveled gears .17 in engagement with the bevel-gears 18 on therotary chopper-shafts [19; The chopper-shafts 19 are journaled insuitable bearings 20, depending from .the front piece 2 of the frame andare provided with universal joints 21, which prevent any interruption oftheir operation when "theframe is raisedor lowered or moved laterally.On the shafts 19 are longitudinally-adjustable choppers 22, held in thedesired position by binding-screws 23 and having arms 24:, on which aremounted blades 25, provided with longitudinal slots 26 to permit oftheir adjustment. The ends of the blades are bent forward at rightangles to sever the tops of the beets. I' prefer to provide a rearwardbend in the arms 24L of one of the choppers, so that when they areadjusted parallel on the shafts they will be prevented from contactingwith each other. The ends edges of the bars 4 and 5.

of the shafts 19 are journaled in suitable bearings 19, depending fromthe bar 5.

The beveled gears 17 are splined upon the axle 7 and capable oflongitudinal movement thereon, and each is provided with a boss 27 whichis engaged by the end of a lever 28, pivoted to an upright rack-bar 29,secured to the front piece 2 of the frame, the said. lever extendingupwardly and rearwardly into convenient reach of the plowman.

On the lever 28 is mounted a sleeve 29, having a pin 30, which passesthrough an eye 31, and on this pin below the eye 31 is a coilspring32,which presses the sleeve down and holds the dog 33 in engagement withone of the notches in the rack-bar to hold the lever from movement andthe gear 17 disengaged from the gear 18. When it is desired to withdrawthe dog 33 from the notches in the rack-bar and throw the gears 17 and18 out of engagement, the handle 34, which is pivoted to the end of thelever 28, is pulled, and a rod 35, which is attached at one end to thehandle 34 and at its other end to the sleeve 29, is also pulled to drawthe sleeve upwardly against the tension of the spring 32.

To the top of the rear bar 4 is secured a pair of handles 36 and 37, bywhich the operator guides and operates the machine.

Mounted in the slot formed by the two bars 4 and 5 are adjustablestandards 38, bound at the desired place by nuts 39, which engage the(See Fig. 3.) These standards are provided at one end with bifurcatedarms 40, to the lower ends of which are pivoted the weeding-knives 41,and the upper ends are provided with transverse curved slots 42. In thetop of the knife is a pin 43, projecting from each side thereof andtraversing the slot 42 in the arms 49. By this construction the knivesmay be tilted and held in such tilted positon by a bindingnut on the endof the pin 43, and thus the knives are caused to enter the soil at theproper angle. When the rows are narrow, the standards may be movedfarther apart along the bars 4 and 5, as desired, and instead of theweeding-knives shown cultivator-teeth might be employed, in which casethe uprights of the teeth would be held between the arms 40.

Depending from the front bar 2 are standards 45, in which is journaled acentral Wheel 46, which engages the ground between the rows.

On the rear end of the frame is mounted a central guide-wheel 47,havinga standard 48,

which is engaged bya clamp 49, provided with a slot through which thestandard passes. This clamp is fitted in the slot between the bars 4 and5, and its end is provided with a nut 50 to engageaplate 51, throughwhich the screw-threaded end of the clamp passes and binds the standard48 in the slot and against the edge of the bars 4 and 5.

By the above-described construction and arrangement of parts it will beseen that the operator is in a convenient position to throw the machinefrom side to side to accommodate it to the irregularities of the rows,and this is effected by means of the pivotal connection of the sidepiece 1 with the arm 13. Ready access is gained to the levers 28 todisengage the gears 17 from the gears 18, as the said levers extendrearwardly within reach of the plowman. The vertical adjustment of theframe is effected by means of the hinge 1 in the bars 1 and held in suchelevation by the wheel 47 Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine of the class described, an axle, bearings at oppositeends of the axle and having arms projecting therefrom, a transversefront bar rigidly connecting the arms, longitudinal bars horizontallypivoted at their front ends to the respective arms and provided withvertical hinges near their front ends independent of their respectivehorizontal pivots, transverse parallel rear bars connecting the rearends of the longitudinal bars,

teeth carried by the transvere rear bars, and a supporting-wheeladjustably connected to the transverse rear bars.

2. In a machine of the class described, an axle, a rectangular framehaving a vertical and horizontal hinged connection with the axle,standards adjustable transversely on the rear bar of the frame,weeding-knives pivoted to the standards and'adapted to be adjustedangularly with relation to the surface of the ground, means to hold themin such adjusted positions, a supporting-wheel clamped to the rear barof the frame and adapted to be adjusted transversely thereon, and meansto hold the frame at different elevations.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR IRELAND.

Witnesses:

J OHN F. CoRKER, NELLIE MULHALL.

